Plan
by mudgems
Summary: "How about you let me worry about the logistics for once and stick with the plan. You ready?" "No." "Yeah, that's what I figured. Too bad."


The radio crackled into life, staticky and intermittent, but a welcome sound in the cavernous gully. "O'Neill".

Jack thumbed the talk button. "Still here, T. How goes it?"

"Captain Carter is confident the DHD is now operational. Our presence remains undetected, but I believe it would be unwise to activate the Stargate ahead of time."

"Roger that. Don't want to draw any unwanted attention. Lie low and we'll be with you as soon as we can." Jack ignored the soft snort from Daniel's direction. "Put Carter on."

There was a short pause before Carter's weary voice crackled to life. "Colonel."

"What's your status, Captain?"

Carter failed to entirely smother a pained sigh, and Jack could easily detect the discomfort in her voice. "I'm managing, sir. Teal'c managed to stop the bleeding and I'm still able to perform my duties. I'll be fine."

Of course you will. Since when has falling debris, a head injury and a concussed cross-country trek ever held you back? "Just hang in there a little while longer. You're doing great."

He could hear the indulgent smile in her answering, "Yes, sir."

"Teal'c," Jack called into the radio, his eyes flicking to Daniel despite his best efforts. "Do you have visual on the flat? How's it looking?" He already knew the answer; they'd timed the ebb and flow of the tide with anal precision. He needed to hear it in words, as much to prompt himself into action as to confirm his timing.

"The water is fast approaching its lowest point, O'Neill. If you were to depart now, you would be able to cross the tidal flat before the current turns."

The strong gravitational pull of the planet's large moon made for some fierce tidal conditions and a frighteningly fast switch between receding and approaching water. If they missed their window, they'd be cut off from the 'gate for a considerable length of time.

"Be with you shortly," Jack confirmed. He turned to assess his teammate with a confidence he couldn't quite pretend was absolute. "Okay, big guy, time to hit the road."

Daniel cast him a nervous look, thoroughly unconvinced. "I'm really not sure about this, Jack."

Jack approached him slowly and crouched at his level. He kept his gaze steady. "How about you let me worry about the logistics for once and stick with the plan. You ready?"

"No."

"Yeah, that's what I figured. Too bad."

Cinching the repurposed belt tighter around Daniel s thigh elicited a hiss. It had worked; the patch of blood-soaked fabric around the wickedly sharp crystal shard didn't appear to have grown much larger.

Daniel clutched at his leg with a white-knuckled grip, the muscles of his jaw jumping in anticipation. Jack wrapped his hand in the bulky fabric of his jacket and used it to grip the top of the shard. It had pierced clean through the flesh of Daniel's leg and had him pinned to the ground. The taper suggested it would come away cleanly with enough force and the correct angle, but it was going to hurt. A lot.

Jack met Daniel's eyes and tried to pass what strength he could through that look alone. "On three, okay?"

"Jack, wait..."

"On three, Daniel."

"I really don't think-"

"Not gonna argue with you here. It's got to come out."

"I know, but what if you just make things worse?"

"We've discussed this. Not many other options here."

Daniel's breathing picked up pace. "What if you can't pull it out in one go?"

"I can. One."

Daniel swallowed."Just... just make it quick, okay?"

"I will. Two."

Daniel tensed and Jack felt the crystal in his hands shift considerably. Daniel made a strangled sound and one hand shot out to push Jack away. "Ah! God, stop!" He panted, red-faced, eyes screwed shut, tears and sweat pouring down his face.

"You can do this, Daniel," Jack told him. He wasn't sure the other man had heard him through the cacophony of pain, and he watched with no small amount of alarm as his clammy face rapidly began to drain of colour.

"Wait," Daniel panted through huffs of agonised breaths. "I need... a second..."

"Okay," Jack agreed, then wrenched the crystal up and out with all the force he could.

Daniel screamed.

The shard came away as smoothly as Jack could have hoped and he threw it immediately to one side. He got to work fast, putting pressure on the freshly opened wound to stem the flow of blood as best he could. Daniel flopped back bonelessly and offered no resistance as his thigh was wrapped in what few bandage substitutes the team had been able to scrounge together. A dirty job, but it would have to do.

Jack sat back on his haunches and assessed his work and his patient. Daniel had passed out and was breathing somewhat erratically. Time was awastin'.

Hauling Daniel's deadweight over his shoulder proved to be more difficult than Jack had anticipated during the planning stage of this operation, but once he had his bulk settled he found his balance point. As he began to make his way towards the exit, he felt Daniel stir.

"Sonuva... bish..." he slurred to Jack's back, then went limp again.


End file.
